Pandora

20.7 million Americans (8.8% of all US adults) attended a classical music performance in 2012, according to the National Endowment for the Arts’ recent survey highlights. 19 million (8.1%) attended a jazz gig. But if these millions of classical & jazz fans tried to use any of the most popular digital music services to access classical or jazz music at home, they’d likely end up confused and unable to find what they’re looking for. read more

For consumers, iTunes Radio may feel a lot like another version of the popular “predictive” radio service Pandora. Plug in an artist or genre, and an algorithm spits out sonically related tracks. But while the experience for listeners may be similar up to a point, the revenue flow behind the scenes isn’t an exact match.

In order to break down how money gets from iTunes Radio to the artists, it’s first important to remember that every song has two copyrights: one for the underlying composition (think notes and lyrics on paper), and one for the sound recording (think music on CD, tape or hard drive).

[…]But all of Pandora’s lobbying in support for the bill has antagonized musicians, and lawmakers. If it’s not careful, industry insiders said, Pandora could end up jeopardizing their business. read more

Over the past ten years, internet and digital radio has evolved into a robust and viable business.

Services like Pandora, Sirius XM, Clear Channel’s IHeartRadio and Slacker are leading the way in delivering radio-like services to millions of music fans every day, and paying millions of dollars in digital performance royalties to rightsholders, performers and songwriters. read more

“Who the [heck] is this guy and why is he trying to sell me a warm sack of [poo]?”

This question lit up my mind last week, as I sat in the audience for the Future of Music Coalition Policy [sic] Summit in Washington, DC. The guy in question was, in fact, a US Senator — Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) — while said warm-sack-of-[poo] was the Internet Radio Fairness Act (IRFA), which Sen. Wyden is sponsoring in the Senate. read more

[…]This disconnect between old media companies and new is hilariously illustrated by comments that one of the bill’s sponsors, Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, made recently at the Future of Music Coalition Summit. After some harsh words for the major labels, Wyden said the following, as quoted by Digital Music News: “Now, if it weren’t for the disruptive independent record labels — I’m talking about people like I.R.S. and Sub Pop and Tim/Kerr — we might never have known much about bands like R.E.M., and Nirvana and the Replacements … I sure want us to remember their enduring influence on not just rock music, but on their contributions to our culture and an entire generation.” read more

August in DC is traditionally a slow month. Election seasons are even slower. This year seems a little different, at least concerning an issue that could directly impact musicians. Within a span of six weeks, members of the House of Representatives on both sides of the aisle have introduced new legislation that aims to establish a more level playing field for radio royalties. read more